BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — A man who fled to Mexico after a deadly drunk driving crash that killed a Kern High School District police chief has been sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.
David Lopez Lilly was sentenced after entering a no contest plea to second-degree murder in the June 17, 2011 death of Chief Steven Alvidrez.
On that day, Lilly was driving while heavily intoxicated at speeds between 90 and 100 miles per hour on Highway 99 near Pond Road when he rear-ended the motorcycle Alvidrez and his wife were riding.
Alvidrez died at the scene while his wife was seriously injured.
Authorities say Lilly fled to Mexico just weeks after the crash, remaining a fugitive for nearly 14 years before being extradited back to the U.S. last year.
"There was a lot of prayer that was happening and hoping that we would get closure one day," Kristin Peyton, Alvidrez's daughter, said.
"So being here today and having lived in so many years have gone by. It's been, it just feels nice. It feels good to have that closure and that peace."
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